Vance Joy returns with new single and music video for “Lay It On Me”

In the five years since the release of his platinum hit “Riptide,” singer/songwriter Vance Joy has been climbing the charts and establishing himself as one of the next artists to watch.

After a largely successful “Fire and the Flood Tour” and a few months of silence, the singer has finally released “Lay It On Me,” an upbeat acoustic ballad marked by his honest lyrics and the occasional boost of brass instruments that make the song as catchy as it is emotional.

The single comes after Vance Joy’s chart-topping debut album, Dream Your Life Away, which included songs like “Mess Is Mine,” “From Afar,” and “My Kind Of Man.” If you haven’t sat down and given that album a listen, I’d definitely recommend you do so – focus on the lyrics and the way Vance Joy constructs a story. It’s all in the songwriting.

A music video for “Lay It On Me” directed by Mimi Cave (known for her work with Sylvan Esso, tUnE-yArDs, and Jim James) also features actress Angela Sarafyan of the HBO hit Westworld. The video focuses on Joy and Sarafyan as two lovers who can never seem to get close to each other.

“Lay It On Me” came to be from a simple guitar riff and a lyric on the singer’s phone: “everything starts at your skin.” Soon after, the pieces came together and the song was born.

Watch the video below.

Along with the release of the single and music video, Vance Joy is set to make many festival appearances including a set at Chicago’s Lollapalooza, San Francisco’s Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits Music Festival among many others.

Check out some of his summer dates below, and keep an eye out for more new releases down the road.